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You’re racist on Grindr and here’s how

By Matt Hennie | Mar 4, 2015 | 4:15 PM

Grindr will get you laid. And possibly make you a crime victim. But among all those muscled chests and sexy profiles to swipe through, it takes about a second to find one with "no Asians" or "no blacks." That's racist and here's why.

The offensive quip in a profile is mostly the work of white guys. But black guys flip the script and use it, too. It's racist either way, even if you can't fathom how or why.

So author Jeremy Helligar tries to break it down in his new book, "Is It True What They Say About Black Men?" It's the best takedown of why "no [insert race]" is bad and you're bad for including it in your profile. And since Grindr is no place for nuance, his explanation is succinct.

I like the part in the book where you talk about how some gay guys are very quick to write off potential lovers/boyfriends simply because of their race, i.e. gay men who put on their Grindr profiles “No asians.” I often hear guys argue that it’s not racist, it’s about personal preference.

Saying I like apples better than oranges is a statement of preference. Writing “No Asians” in your Grindr profile is not about preference. It’s about exclusion, especially when you insist on putting it in writing. You aren’t saying you prefer this over that. You’re saying, “If you’re Asian, don’t even bother.” These same people judge white guys individually and dismiss them individually. If they don’t like them, they just don’t respond or block them. But with Asians, they’re dismissing them collectively, making a preemptive strike against them because, well, they think they all look the same, or they’re all unattractive, which is basically what you’re saying when you say you’re not attracted to an entire race. I don’t understand how people can’t see the problem with this. It’s discrimination, which is key to racism. And the sad thing is, it’s an artificial, misguided distinction because “Asian” is as varied as “White.”

No really, it's racist.

At the same time, a person can’t control who they are attracted to.

If you’ve never been attracted to an Asian guy, or a black guy, or even a white guy, that doesn’t make you racist. What makes you racist is when your lack of previous attraction guides your future interaction with them, when you close yourself off from them completely. So instead of turning down an Asian guy, or a black guy, as most white guys would another white guy, because you’re just not interested, you make it completely about color. How is that not racist?

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